But what if some of those seemingly absurd fears actually came true in real life? How would you handle such situations? These photos from the Fears I Never Knew I Had subreddit show just that. It’s a collection of creepy moments you likely never knew you’d come across. Many of these images involve terrifying arachnids showing themselves in unexpected places, gnarly injuries, and supposedly tranquil moments taking sudden, unpleasant left turns. Scroll through if you’re ready to be freaked out. But proceed at your own risk. In her interview with Scientific American, she noted that such fears could develop from a frightening event where a person has no control, even if they just witnessed it. “For instance, watching a devastating airplane crash on the news may trigger a fear of flying. That said, discerning the origin of the disorder can be difficult because people tend to do a poor job of identifying the source of their fears.” “Certain horror films are particularly good at this, presenting everyday things like birds as things to be feared, associations which stay with people for a long time,” Dr. Burnett explains. “The Final Destination series is particularly cruel in that it tries to make people terrified of ‘not dying.’” “If you’re evolving in an environment where snakes are a genuine but subtle threat, this tendency would help no doubt. It might explain the spider thing (arachnophobia) too.” “You can’t simply make someone encounter the thing they’re afraid of to show them it’s harmless,” he explained. “As far as the brain is concerned, the fear response IS a negative physical consequence, so on a subconscious level, the phobia is self-fulfilling.” The research also pointed out that these anxieties usually pose little to zero threat to the person. It states, “Many people living with anxiety know their fears are irrational, but certain thoughts and situations still set off a flight, fight, or freeze response.” Nomophobia is a fear of not having your mobile phone on you. Developed at the dawn of the digital age, it’s a phobia that 66% of the world’s population suffers from. Optophobia is a fear of opening one’s eyes, and it can be crippling. People who suffer from it cannot live normal lives and would rather spend most of their days indoors or in a dimly lit area. If you fear long words, you may have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Otherwise known as sesquipedalophobia, it is common among people with dyslexia and those who don’t enjoy reading out loud. “During exposure therapy, a person engages with the particular fear to help diminish and ultimately overcome it over time. An individual might, for example, look at a photograph of the dreaded object or become immersed in the situation he or she loathes.” Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
